Operation Riverquest saw 10.5 kilometres of Christchurch’s riverbeds and coastlines cleaned by 20 schools, with about 1300 students mucking in.
While the data was still being tallied on exactly what rubbish was collected and how much, lead organiser and estuary trust manager Tanya Jenkins said they believe they collected several tonnes.
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Isla Beckingsale, 7, at the estuary in New Brighton as she took part in this year’s clean-up.
She said the usual culprits – food waste and plastic packaging – were joined by some more unusual items like number plates, plastic bags filled with keys, eight shopping trolleys, and a section of camera film from 1996.